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Authors: David Morrell
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farther, felt her knees weaken, and knew that she couldn’t risk continuing. For as far as she could see along the slope of this hill, no mound of rocks provided a goal. Discouragement weighed upon her. Mustering strength, licking her parched lips, she turned to go back to the cave. Instead of swinging to the right toward the contour of the hill, she pivoted left toward the broad expanse of the desert. And tingled when she saw the mound.
She stumbled toward it. As far as they went, Drew’s instructions had been accurate. But he’d left out a crucial detail. The cluster of rocks was a hundred yards around the curve of the hill, all right. But
out
from the hill, not against it. And if you looked that way, the cluster was so obvious, so tall and wide, so clear a landmark, that you couldn’t fail to notice it.
She made her feet move faster. The rocks became larger. Climbing over them, down to a hollow, she found a stagnant pool protected from wind, skimmed dust to the side, glanced around to make sure no skeletons of animals warned against trusting the water, and dipped her mouth beneath the surface.Hot, the water did not refresh her. Nonetheless, she felt her body absorb it.
Quickly she filled the canteen. Ten minutes later, she stooped to enter the dark of the cave.
Drew was flat on his back. Eyes slitted, he shrugged and tried to grin. “Forgot to tell you …”
“I
know
what you forgot to tell me, friend. I found it just the same.”
She raised the canteen to his lips. He swallowed gratefully. She drank as well.
That still left the problem of food. In her knapsack, she’d carried enough provisions for an emergency—peanuts and beef jerky, along with dried fruit. But after she searched the cave and found nothing to eat, she had to conclude that what she’d brought was not sufficient for both of them to cross the desert.
She gave Drew more water, took some herself, and became more hopeful as his energy returned.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
He shook his head.
“Because I love you,” she said.
He breathed deeply, overcome with powerful emotion. “Love … Yes.” It was hard for him to continue. “But how did you find me?”
“Persistence.”
“I don’t understand.” He gathered strength. “I thought I’d hidden my trail.”
She nodded.
“Then how … ?”
“The Fraternity.”
Drew shuddered.
5
“Y ou ran from them,” she said, “to save my brother’s life. Because he saved yours. You thought you’d eluded them. You haven’t.”
She reached in her knapsack and pulled out a bag of peanuts. Chewing, she savored their salt.
He reached for one.
“Promise not to swallow it right away.”
He nodded.
She pressed one between his lips. “If you weren’t so grungy, I’d kiss you.”
“Threats’ll get you nowhere.” He slumped. “The Fraternity?”
“They followed you from the moment you left my brownstone in New York,” she said. “The reason you thought you’d gotten away was they never made a move against you. After England, Italy, and Morocco, you felt it was safe to come to Egypt. But they followed you here as well. They’ve been keeping track of you.”
“You know this … ?”
“Because two weeks ago, one of them came to see me.”
Drew groaned. “Then all of this has been for nothing?”
“No, it saved your life. The way the priest explained it to me,” she said, “the Fraternity decided your exile here was worse than any punishment they could have thought of. From the looks of you, they were right.”
His pitiful appearance dismayed her—his gaunt torso, his haggard face, his matted waist-long hair and beard. “We have to get some strength back into you. Do you think your stomach could hold down another peanut?”
“It better. I need the salt.”
She gave him one and nibbled on a piece of beef jerky.
“The priest told me the Fraternity’s decided you’ve suffered enough for the death of their operative.”
Drew
She stumbled toward it. As far as they went, Drew’s instructions had been accurate. But he’d left out a crucial detail. The cluster of rocks was a hundred yards around the curve of the hill, all right. But
out
from the hill, not against it. And if you looked that way, the cluster was so obvious, so tall and wide, so clear a landmark, that you couldn’t fail to notice it.
She made her feet move faster. The rocks became larger. Climbing over them, down to a hollow, she found a stagnant pool protected from wind, skimmed dust to the side, glanced around to make sure no skeletons of animals warned against trusting the water, and dipped her mouth beneath the surface.Hot, the water did not refresh her. Nonetheless, she felt her body absorb it.
Quickly she filled the canteen. Ten minutes later, she stooped to enter the dark of the cave.
Drew was flat on his back. Eyes slitted, he shrugged and tried to grin. “Forgot to tell you …”
“I
know
what you forgot to tell me, friend. I found it just the same.”
She raised the canteen to his lips. He swallowed gratefully. She drank as well.
That still left the problem of food. In her knapsack, she’d carried enough provisions for an emergency—peanuts and beef jerky, along with dried fruit. But after she searched the cave and found nothing to eat, she had to conclude that what she’d brought was not sufficient for both of them to cross the desert.
She gave Drew more water, took some herself, and became more hopeful as his energy returned.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?”
He shook his head.
“Because I love you,” she said.
He breathed deeply, overcome with powerful emotion. “Love … Yes.” It was hard for him to continue. “But how did you find me?”
“Persistence.”
“I don’t understand.” He gathered strength. “I thought I’d hidden my trail.”
She nodded.
“Then how … ?”
“The Fraternity.”
Drew shuddered.
5
“Y ou ran from them,” she said, “to save my brother’s life. Because he saved yours. You thought you’d eluded them. You haven’t.”
She reached in her knapsack and pulled out a bag of peanuts. Chewing, she savored their salt.
He reached for one.
“Promise not to swallow it right away.”
He nodded.
She pressed one between his lips. “If you weren’t so grungy, I’d kiss you.”
“Threats’ll get you nowhere.” He slumped. “The Fraternity?”
“They followed you from the moment you left my brownstone in New York,” she said. “The reason you thought you’d gotten away was they never made a move against you. After England, Italy, and Morocco, you felt it was safe to come to Egypt. But they followed you here as well. They’ve been keeping track of you.”
“You know this … ?”
“Because two weeks ago, one of them came to see me.”
Drew groaned. “Then all of this has been for nothing?”
“No, it saved your life. The way the priest explained it to me,” she said, “the Fraternity decided your exile here was worse than any punishment they could have thought of. From the looks of you, they were right.”
His pitiful appearance dismayed her—his gaunt torso, his haggard face, his matted waist-long hair and beard. “We have to get some strength back into you. Do you think your stomach could hold down another peanut?”
“It better. I need the salt.”
She gave him one and nibbled on a piece of beef jerky.
“The priest told me the Fraternity’s decided you’ve suffered enough for the death of their operative.”
Drew
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